Toenail straightening and restoring appliance



March 16, 1965 J. E. REDERICH 3,173,416

TOENAIL STRAIGHTENING AND RESTORING APPLIANCE Filed Nov. 27, 1962 Joseph E Redefich 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent @55 3,173,416 TOENAIL STRAIGHTENING AND RESTORING APPLIANCE Joseph E. Rederich, 13021 Lake City Blvd. SW., Tacoma 99, Wash. Filed Nov. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 240,278 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-81) The present invention relates to prosthetic appliances, broadly classified, and has reference, more particularly, to a simple, practical and economical toenair straightening attachment which is manually applicable and removable and which is functionally designed and structurally adapted to restore ingrown portions of the toenail to normal shape and purpose.

One conversant with the art to which the invention relates would obviously be aware of the fact that many and varied appliances have been offered by others engaged in this field of endeavor with a view toward perfecting an appliance which will satisfactorily meet the individual needs of the victim of a painful and annoying ingrown toenail. Although a number of patents have been granted to cope with ingrowing toenail difficulties only one, because it is generally analogous to the instant contribution to the art, will be cited here. Accordingly, the toenail appliance in the Gifford Patent 3,032,032 may, if desired, be referred to. This prior patent is mentioned for the reason that it pertains to a readily attachable and detachable correction appliance which is designed and adapted to afford the user relief from increasingly annoying and eventually intolerable toenail difiiculties.

Despite the effort of prior inventors and patentees prior art toenail holders and straighteners have apparently not met with widespread adoption or use. For example and whereas the toenail appliance in Patent 3,032,032 might be regarded as acceptable and workable on and in connection with certain toenail diflficulties, the hooked clips at the ends would hardly serve effectually in connection with ingrowing reverse curves. Then, too, the use of springjoined hooked anchor clips would be extremely painful and perhaps intolerable if forcibly anchored on an already sore and sensitive toe. Accordingly, the principal objective in the instant presentation is to structurally, functionally and in other ways improve upon prior art accessories and appliances and, in doing so, to advance the art and to provide a safe and reliable construction which is aptly conformable and uniquely adaptable to a given toenail problem and which lends itself to effective restoration of the toenail to its intended normal shape and to maximum natural functioning.

Briefly summarized the present invention has to do with a toenail straightener which is manually attachable to and removable from the users toenail and which, when in its applied position, distributively but gently imposes shape restoring strain in a constantly applied manner on the leading edge of the toenail so that deformed portions of the toenail are gradually caused to resume natural form and function.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the appliance that it constitutes a toenail straightener for the reason that the construction is such that when the appliance is initially attached to the toenail it is arcuately bowed and is thereafter susceptible of being straightened out in a step-by-step manner and to enable the user to gradually transform the deformed toenail from its objectionable state to its intended normal state when handled according to directions over a period, say 30 days more or less, of use.

3,173,416 Patented a 16, 1965 Stated somewhat more explicitly the appliance is preferably in the form of a suitable metal or equivalent clip which is such in construction and form that it may be aptly placed over the front or leading edge of the toenail which is to be restored. This clip is possessed if inherent spring tension so that the components embodied therein function to grip the protruding leading edge. The clip has a hollow elongated or equivalent tubular portion which is transformed by a plurality of cuts or slits into a corresponding plurality of ring-like members having the desired inherent resilient properties. This construction allows the overall clip, as a unit, to be bent from arcuate form to approximately straight form without collapsing.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view drawn in perspective and illustrating a fragmentary portion of a human foot and showing, what is more significant, the toenail straightening appliance in use and how it is constructed;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale and which functions to illustrate the details of construction of the clip and, more particularly, how one of the ring-like segments can be severed and removed in a manner to shorten the length of the clip;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing how the toenail is prepared by filing it straight across at right angles to its lengthwise dimension;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on the plane of the section line 44 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the.

arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a view on an exaggerated scale observing the great toe of FIGURE 1 in a direction from right to left (alternatively from the front) and which serves to show the longitudinally bowed curvature;

FIGURE 6 is a view based on FIGURE 5 and showing how the appliance has been progressively straightened out to assume the final toenail straightening position;

FIGURE 7 is a view in perspective showing a modified form of the clip; and

FIGURE 8 is a section on the plane of the section line 8-8 of FIGURE 7 illustrating the clip applied.

By way of introduction the clip is constructed to provide inherent or built-in spring tension which enables it to grip the front or leading edge of the toenail and thus hold itself in place. The clip can be bent into a significant arcuate form (FIG. 5) then back by degrees over several days to a substantially fiat position (FIG. 6) in order to restore an ingrown toenail to its normal shape. By accomplishing this gradually, there is no heavy reverse pressure applied to the nail such as would no doubt cause considerable discomfort. The clip can be shortened (FIG. 2) to fit smaller nails by cutting oif one or more segments or ring-like portions.

With reference first to the foot of the contemplated wearer or user the great toe 10 is of significance and the toenail 12 is the part in point. Assuming that the corner portions 14 (FIG. 3) are embedded or ingrown it is desirable in order to condition the toenail for reception of the appliance 16 to file the nail crosswise, in fact straight across as at 18.

The appliance 16 is constructed of suitable metal or equivalent sheet material. The material is such that it has required built-in spring tension or resilient properties and also malleable properties so that it stays put in either the curved position shown, for example, in FIG. 5 or the final straightened position illustrated in FIG. 6. Stated otherwise the metal is bendably resilient so that it can be applied and used in the manner illustrated in the drawing. Whereas the invention is broadly an appliance or a straightener attachment it is, more specifically, a readily applicable and removable clip. Assuming that the clip is fashioned from a sheet of suitable metal, the metal is bent between its ends upon itself to form an open-ended hollow tubular body portion which is denoted generally by the numeral 20. The free edge portions are fashioned into elongated attaching and retaining flanges, the narrower flange being denoted at 22 and the wider flange at 24 with the bent junctional portions between the flanges and body portion denoted at '26. The body portion is not of continuous or imperforate form. Instead it is provided at longitudinally spaced points with transverse cuts or slits 28. These slits are sufiiciently far apart that they define individual ring-like bands or segments 30. The metal is such that it can be severed or cut with an appropriate implement whereby it can be made short or long as suggested in FIG. 2 wherein one of the segments including the flanges has been severed and detached. Ingrown nails do not just happen. They are caused. Just about all of them are caused by shoes that are too short, too pointed, or too flat toed, or a combination of these conditions. This crowded condition causes the nails to assume some rather weird shapes in their attempt to fit into their limited space. The instant straighteners come in four, six and eight segments.

The straightener is designed to fit on a toenail with slightly over Ms inch free nail (that portion of nail protruding beyond quick). It can be made .of any material that will hold a small amount of spring tension.

The toenail should be cut or filed straight across (perpendicular to the toe) with at least inch free nail left in center. Straightener is then curved to a slightly less are than the arc of the nail. Now one corner of the straightener is clipped to the nail. Then the straightener is gradually worked down all along the nail until it is completely in place.

The toenail is now being held in a slightly straightened position with the result that the discomfort is already minimized or eliminated. About every two days thestraightener should be removed, slightly flattened (less are) and then immediately replaced as before. After about a week, the straightener will be flat (no arc) and of course, the nail will be held accordingly.

If the straightener is now left on the nail for another four or five weeks, it will be found that the straightening effect will have been carried well back toward the base of the nail. Also, the flesh of the toe will have completely filled in the groove made by the ingrown nail. In short, the nail and the toe will have been painlessly restored to its original shape. In the event pressure of the shoe tends to push straightener off nail, it can be secured with adhesive tape.

The embodiment of the invention depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8 is basically the same as that already shown and described. For convenience the appliance or attachment in these illustrations is denoted by the numeral 32. Here again it comprises a suitable sheet of material having the desired bendable and resilient properties and which is characterized by an open-ended elongated tubular body portion 34 which is generally C-shaped as illustrated in end view in FIG. 8. One free edge is denoted at 36 and the other edge portion merges into a substantially flatwise flange 38 which fits atop the nail in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8. Here again spaced parallel slits or cuts are provided as at 49 to define. the split-ring-like selectively usable segments 42.

The rounded front portion of the clip which has been described as the open-ended hollow tubular body portion with the plurality of transverse longitudinally spaced.

slices or cuts therein enables the user to bend the clip longitudinally without collapsing and without the edgegripping portions loosening their intended self-retaining nail gripping characteristics.

Then, too, it will be appreciated that a clip characterized by the construction herein shown and described is susceptible of being bent into a decided are, then bent back in a step-by-step manner or by degrees ranging over several days to assume a substantially flat state or condition and in order to restore the over-all toenail to its normal shape. Manifestly, by accomplishing these steps gradually there is no heavy reverse pressure applied to the nail which would result in undesirable and considarable discomfort to the user.

Experimental use of the invention has convincingly shown that it is such in construction and purpose that it will doubtless meet with the individual needs of many different users. As materials improve and as knowledge is acquired, appliances in this category are bound to become more acceptable resulting in an advancement in the art.

It is submitted that careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the figures of the illustrative drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter of the invention, the features and advantages and the manner of using the same for best results. Consequently, a more extended description is regarded as unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. Straightening means for a toenail having ingrowing portions comprising an elongated clip adapted to be removably fitted on the free leading edge of the toenail, said clip embodying a hollow tubular body portion providing a shield for protective reception of said leading edge, and also embodying at least one elongated clip positioning and retaining flange which in use rests clampingly atop said leading edge, said body portion being approximately circular in cross-section and open at its ends, also being divided by transverse longitudinally spaced slits into a plurality of ring-like segments, one or more of said segments being severable and separable to in this manner shorten the effective length of said body portion in keeping with requirements of toenails .of varying sizes and shapes.

2. Means for gradually and progressively straightening an ingrown toenail comprising: an elongated toenail restoring clip adapted to be removably fitted on the free leading edge of the ingrown toenail, said clip embodying an elongated hollow tubular body portion providing a shield for enclosing reception of said leading edge, said tubular body portion having inherent resilient properties, being made of bendable sheet material and capable of being manually bowed longitudinally without collapsing to assume and positively retain a given arched state until subsequently manually straightened without losing its inherent resilient properties, said clip having at least one elongated clip-positioning and retaining flange, said flange being commensurate in length with the length of said body portion and being carried by and projecting beyond one lengthwise edge of said body portion and being adapted when in use to yieldingly and clampingly press itself atop the surface of the leading edge portion of the toenail, said tubular body portion being substantially circular in cross-section, open at its respective ends and divided by transverse longitudinally spaced slits into a plurality of individual but springy ring-like segments.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and wherein said tubular body portion is also provided with a second flange which is complemental to, is commensurate in length therewith and of a Width less than the Width of the first-named flange and is adapted to clampingly contact the underneath side of the leading edge of the toenail, the built-in tension of said body portion serving to constantly urge the flanges toward each other in a man ner to yieldingly but removably grip the intervening grippable portions of said leading edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stedrnan Nov. 5, Wilson Dec. 17, Gibbons Feb. 20, Buyas Oct. 16, Gifford May 1,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 18, 

1. STRAIGHTENING MEANS FOR A TOENAIL HAVING INGROWING PORTIONS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CLIP ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY FITTED ON THE FREE LEADING EDGE OF THE TOENAIL, SAID CLIP EMBODYING A HOLLOW TUBULAR BODY PORTION PROVIDING AND ALSO EMBODYING AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED LEADING EDGE, AND ALSO EMBODYING AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED CLIP POSITIONING AND RETAINING FLANGE WHICH IN USE RESTS CLAMPING ATOP SAID LEADING EDGE, SAID BODY PORTION BEING APPROXIMATELY CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND OPEN AT ITS ENDS, ALSO BEING DIVIDED BY TRANSVERSE LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SLITS INTO A PLURALITY OF RING-LIKE SEGMENTS, ONE OR MORE OF SAID SEGMENTS BEING SEVERABLE AND SEPARABLE TO IN THIS MANNER SHORTEN THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID BODY PORTION IN KEEPING WITH REQUIREMENTS OF TOENAILS OF VARYING SIZES AND SHAPES. 